The death of PGA Tour golfer Grayson Murray has left the sports world in profound shock. Murray had been competing in Fort Worth, Texas as part of the Charles Schwab Challenge before withdrawing from the competition’s second round — and his subsequent passing has shocked golf while bringing further awareness to mental health causes.
Murray was a passionate advocate for mental health throughout his career, and his struggles with anxiety and depression were well-documented. What has since been revealed is that Murray actively strived to improve mental health resources on the PGA Tour — and now that he is gone, it is perhaps time for commissioner Jay Monahan to implement the strongest changes possible.
Inside Murray’s commitment to mental health causes
Back in 2021, Murray slammed the PGA Tour in a since-deleted tweet that criticized the competition for not giving him the right resources to address his anxiety, depression, and trouble with alcohol. He wrote “the PGA Tour didn’t force me to drink, but the PGA Tour never gave me help,” adding that in his five years on tour he had never once received an acknowledgement from the Player Advisory Council other than “we will get back to you.”
The admission struck a chord with Monahan. That tweet inspired the commissioner to spend time with Murray and attempt to understand what the PGA Tour could do to help.
“We’ve made a number of advancements along those lines and it’s become a real point of focus and emphasis,” Monahan said. “We’re proud of the programs we have in place to support our players, to support everybody out here.”
Monahan remarked that Murray was “very open and transparent” about his struggles away from the course, and winning the Sony Open in January appeared to be a release for Murray. However, the 30-year-old’s untimely death has renewed calls for the Tour to bolster those programs that Monahan has already touted.
“I think back to how he was interested in real estate and how he had become interested in things he wasn’t interested in before,” Monahan said. “He talked about just the peace he had in his life.”